Improved market confidence, large projects to drive IT job growth

Returning market confidence and large digital and security projects are expected to drive IT hiring this year, according to recruitment firm Robert Walters.

Its 2015 Global Salary Survey found that market conditions are set to improve in 2015 with some organisations in banking and finance expected to move away from offshoring and bring roles back into Australia.

Still, many big name firms that offshored functions last year to centralise costs – particularly in helpdesk, network and security operations areas – will continue to do so this year, the report said.

Salaries for tech workers across the major Australian cities will grow slightly by 1.6 per cent in 2015 compared to last year.

A permanent CIO or CTO in Sydney can expect to earn $280,000 or more in 2015, compared to $290,000 last year.

In Sydney, premiums were paid for niche skill sets, domain or industry-specific knowledge and for those candidates able to communicate effectively at both a business and IT level, the report said.

“We predict that this will continue in 2015, while candidates with more generic skill sets may need to lower their salary expectations.”

Meanwhile, numerous IT projects were put on hold in Adelaide last year due to the South Australian state election.

“After the state election, an increase in consumer confidence saw market conditions improve and multiple IT projects go live. As a result, there was a rise in demand for project managers and business analysts. This is a trend we expect to continue in 2015,” the report said.

A permanent CIO or CTO working in Adelaide can expect to earn between $195,000 to $295,000 this year, compared to $175,000 to $295,000 in 2014.

Brisbane IT chiefs should be earning between $170,000 to $200,000 this year compared to $170,00 to $185,000 in 2014; while in Melbourne, they can earn between $180,000 and $300,000 this year, the same range as last year.

Finally, CIOs and CTOs in Perth should be commanding a salary of $160,000 or more in 2015, the report said.

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